Cost

[Updated for the 2024/2025 academic year.]

A semester off-campus always costs more than a semester on-campus, even when spent in a country with a much lower cost of living. Students are advised to budget carefully. Specific cost estimates for room, board, and educational and personal expenses will be made available to students for their approved programs.  OWU Budget Sheets are available to students for each program.

Incidental and personal expenses are, in almost all cases, significantly higher for off-campus programs because of required and optional travel and other activities, and these expenses vary greatly by program. Total transportation costs, both surface and air, for the duration of an off-campus program are usually underestimated by students. Students are responsible for carefully planning for the cost of participating in their approved off-campus program.

Students studying away should expect to budget at least $7,000 to $10,000 more for the semester they are away over what they normally would spend on campus.  

OWU charges a $150 application fee to those who wish to apply to participate in an approved off-campus program and a $3,200 off-campus program fee per semester for those who participate.  

For some programs not administered by OWU, there is a supplemental off-campus program fee that will be charged to the student in addition to the regular off-campus program fee.  There may also be over-load fees charged for programs that award more than the equivalent of 5.25 Ohio Wesleyan Units of Credit for the term of enrollment.  Supplemental off-campus program fees will be charged for all programs that charge more than $9,750 per term for tuition and academic fees.  The supplemental charge for a program will be the difference between the program tuition and academic charges and $9,750.  Additionally, those who petiton to enroll in an un-approved program will be charged an Unapproved Program Petition fee of $500.

There are many programs do not have a supplemental fee. These include: the New York Arts Program, the OWU Pamplona Program, OWU Tanzania, the Irish American Scholars Program, the Kansai Gaidai Exchange Program, and certain programs offered by our partners Arcadia, AIFS, CIEE and others. Please contact the IOCP office to discuss your options.

Students are advised during mandatory meetings about budgeting and costs. It is their responsibility to plan carefully and to communicate to their parents/financial guarantors about their planning.  

Financial guarantors (normally but not always a parent) are encouraged to schedule a teleconference or meeting with OWU Connection staff to discuss billing and financial aid policies.  These can be arranged at night or on the weekend.

Students are provided with billing information and estimates for out-of-pocket expenses on Off-Campus Programs Budget Sheets.  

(Read the other sections on this website -- Financial Aid, Billing, Budgeting -- carefully.)

All of the above is subject to change. Every year tuition and/or fees increase.